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On December 9, Russia celebrates Motherland Heroes Day - a special day devoted to courage, selflessness and patriotism of people that bear this noble title. On this day we also pay tribute to people that were awarded with this title posthumously.

All of us remember tragic pages of our history, countless heroic deeds of our ancestors, unwavering will, fortitude and unity of the people, when very young people headed to the front side by side with officers to defend the most sacred for them - their Motherland. And we know a lot of examples when young heroes stood firm against enemies despite their age and died in this unequal struggle as true men.

In our seemingly peaceful time there is no need for children to throw themselves upon the grenade in order to protect their loved ones and strangers at the expense of their own lives. The fact that such stories still take place seems impossible, incomprehensible, unacceptable.

We have to remember and convey stories about those who passed away with dignity - this way their feat will be unfadable. The cry of mothers and loved ones of the little heroes take a special place in collective sorrow and recalls with pain in respectful hearts of every officer, of each concerned citizen of our country. Their deaths reflect qualities unique for their age - love for the neighbour, selflessness, courage, sympathy. Here they are - the very young true heroes of our time.

Yevgeny Tabakov (March 6, 2001 - November 28, 2008)

Posthumously awarded with the Order of Courage

The story of Zhenya Tabakov is sad and unfair; however, it raised a great pride in our hearts. On November 28, 2008, Zhenya and his 12-year-old sister were home when a burglar broke in their apartment. The perpetrator attacked Yana. The 7-year-old boy didn’t lose control in this critical situation and fought back: he grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed the burglar with it. In response the furious criminal stabbed the boy eight times in the back. In the meantime, Yana managed to run out of the apartment and started to call for help. Nevertheless, it’s sad to say that Zhenya could not be saved. He died of his wounds. On that day, he died for the sake of his sister. He defended his family and his home without second thoughts, like a true man should. The highest human merits combined in this 7-year-old boy. Strong will and fortitude, courage of a lion and readiness to step off the cliff for the sake of other person granted this world a great hero, Zhenya Tabakov. His act, his image, his story served a lesson and an example for all of us. Zhenya Tabakov immortalised his valour not only on the pages of history but also in our hearts. And we will be carrying his feat to the very end.

Danil Sadykov (December 12, 1999 - May 5, 2012)

Posthumously awarded with the Order of Courage

The accident that passed away the life of 12-year-old Danil Sadykov took place on a spring day in Naberezhnye Chelny. A little boy fell into a street fountain under voltage. He lost consciousness and fell into the water. Danil Sadykov was the only one to rush to him from the crowd. He pulled the boy out of water but received a mortal electric shock. The young hero died of his injuries. The act of absolute bravery committed by Danil is an example of rare courage and selflessness. On that fateful day Danil gave his life to the saved child without hesitation. Facing the danger, young hero Danil Sadykov literally gave the second birth to this boy. The memory of Danil, of his kindness and courage won’t go away with tears; it will stay with us forever.

Andrey Kasimov (October 29, 2001 - October 27, 2014)

Posthumously awarded with the medal “For Life Saving”

On October 27, 2014, the Udmurt Regional Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia was reported about missing children: 13-year-old Andrey Kasimov and 11-year-old Alexandra Kasimova from Balesino settlement. Top specialists were immediately assigned to search for them. A day after, the bodies of the missing children were discovered in the nearby forest. It took five days for the investigators to arrest the person responsible for this inhuman crime. As a result of the investigation, the complete picture of what had happened was defined. The criminal forced the children into the forest where he attacked Sasha. Andrey was trying to protect his sister to his last breath, having offered serious resistance to the superior enemy. Though he could not win this battle, in the face of death he showed the full strength of his soul - the soul of a true hero which has no space for fear and doubts. The soul that left this world to show us what it takes to be a hero. We will remember this awful tragedy and the feat of Andrey Kasimov as an example of a great fortitude concentrated in an ordinary rural boy.

Ivan Krapivin (October 4, 2002 - December 4, 2018)

Posthumously awarded with the Investigative Committee medal “Valour and Courage”

Before the tragedy, 16-year-old Vanya Krapivin from Severodvinsk lived a life of a regular teenager - he went to school as other kids, had his interests and friends. According to his relatives and friends, Vanya was a very kind and sympathetic boy. But the tragedy that occurred deprived our society and state of one more hero, true man Ivan Krapivin. On that horrible day a drunken neighbour living in the same communal apartment attacked Vanya’s mother and stabbed her 27 times. Vanya managed to pull himself together and interfere with the criminal, trying to defend his mother. For that the perpetrator severely hit Vanya three times on the head with a dumbbell. The boy received injuries of extreme severity that almost obliterated his chances for recovery. Under supervision of leading medical experts he lived in a hospital for another year and a half. He passed away on December 4, 2018. Vanya’s mother survived. Despite his young age, Vanya already was a great man. He wanted to stop the cruelty his eyes reflected in these terrible minutes with his entire being. And he managed. He did more than it might seem. Vanya Krapivin is not just a boy, now it’s a symbol of a true man, a guardian and defender of his family. And the symbols are immortal. On that day Ivan Krapivin did not lose his battle - he won it and demonstrated the true courage to all of us.